I was a math nerd when I was little-and I say "nerd" with a lot of love and pride. Jennifer Leman: Have you always been interested in STEM? Were you a nerdy kid? Our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, below. I admire Nelson because he’s aiming to become the mentor he never had. Findings from the first survey were published in 2016 Nelson and Daniel Cruz-Ramirez de Arellano, of the University of South Florida, are currently analyzing results from the second.ĭuring our conversation, I was struck by something Nelson said: “ We find our community when our community is visible.” I often wonder if having an early mentor who was also bisexual would have helped me learn to embrace my identity sooner. First pioneered by Jeremy Yoder and Allison Matthies (of California State University Northridge and California State University Los Angeles, respectively), the Queer in STEM Project has conducted two nationwide surveys in order to document the experiences of LGBTQ+-identified people in STEM. To learn more about this, I spoke with Joey Nelson, an environmental scientist and Thinking Matters Fellow at Stanford University, about his work with the Queer in STEM project. Many of those who are have reported feeling unsafe or unwelcome in the workplace. ![]() More than 40 percent of LGBTQ+-identified people working in STEM fields are not out to their colleagues. The findings are discouraging: LGBTQ+ students and professionals are dropping out of the sciences. Several recent studies have highlighted the struggles of sexual and gender minorities in STEM. But so many of my peers in STEM’s LGBTQ+ community are not as lucky. I am incredibly fortunate to have always lived, worked and studied in communities that were safe and supportive. I've struggled with these feelings since I began college in 2010. I've often felt isolated in my bisexuality-tucked in the space between two communities-not quite gay and not quite straight. I didn't know anyone else in the city who openly identified as queer, and was not yet out to my coworkers. I had just moved to San Francisco after graduating college, and I wanted to attend a Pride event for the first time. ![]() But some truths-personal ones-are more difficult to grapple with. Round and glossy, it was the San Francisco Chronicle’s cheeky nod to the city's annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade.Īs a science journalist, I tell stories and unravel mysteries about our planet and its processes. Confetti swirled around me as I thumbed the edges of the bright pink button.
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